Identification of failure modes and paths of reservoir dams under explosion loads

•The failure modes and paths of different dams under explosion loads are presented.•The failure hierarchy structures of different dams under explosion loads are constructed.•An identification method of main failure modes and paths of reservoir dams under explosion loads is proposed. Reservoir dams are large public facilities at risk of being damaged by explosion loads. Explosion accidents may not only affect people's life safety but also lead to property loss and ecological environment damage. This paper presents a method for identifying failure modes and paths of reservoir dams under explosion loads. First, the anti-explosion and failure characteristics of earth-rock dams, concrete gravity dams and concrete arch dams are analyzed through numerical simulations. Second, the failure modes and paths of different dams under explosion loads are given according to simulation results and actual structures of the dam and outbuildings. Finally, an identification method of main failure modes and paths of reservoir dams under explosion loads using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is further proposed by constructing the failure hierarchy structures. The case study results show that the proposed method can identify the major failure modes and paths of reservoir dams under explosion loads. This method can provide scientific basis and technical support for the risk analysis and safety protection of reservoir dams under explosion loads.